Thus His fame spread through all Syria; and they brought all the sick to Him, the people who were suffering from various diseases and pains--demoniacs, epileptics, paralytics; and He cured them.

"Again, you have heard that it was said to the ancients, 'Thou shalt not swear falsely, but shalt perform thy vows to the Lord.'

But I tell you not to swear at all; neither by Heaven, for it is God's throne;

And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black.

And a leper came to Him, and throwing himself at His feet, said, "Sir, if only you are willing you are able to cleanse me."

"Sir," he said, "my servant at home is lying ill with paralysis, and is suffering great pain."

"Sir," replied the Captain, "I am not a fit person to receive you under my roof: merely say the word, and my servant will be cured.

Another of the disciples said to Him, "Sir, allow me first to go and bury my father."

And when He had gone indoors, they came to Him. "Do you believe that I can do this?" He asked them. "Yes, Sir," they replied.

He then spoke many things to them in figurative language. "The sower goes out," He said, "to sow.

"To you then I will explain the parable of the Sower.

"So the farmer's men come and ask him, "'Sir, was it not good seed that you sowed on your land? Where then does the darnel come from?'

"The sower of the good seed," He replied, "is the Son of Man;

Here a Canaanitish woman of the district came out and persistently cried out, "Sir, Son of David, pity me; my daughter is cruelly harassed by a demon."

Then she came and threw herself at His feet and entreated Him. "O Sir, help me," she said.

"Be it so, Sir," she said, "for even the dogs eat the scraps which fall from their masters' tables."

"Sir," he said, "have pity on my son, for he is an epileptic and is very ill. Often he falls into the fire and often into the water.

two blind men sitting by the roadside heard that it was Jesus who was passing by, and cried aloud, "Sir, Son of David, pity us."

The people angrily tried to silence them, but they cried all the louder. "O Sir, Son of David, pity us," they said.

"Sir, let our eyes be opened," they replied.

He came to the second and spoke in the same manner. His answer was, "'I will go, Sir.' "But he did not go.

So you also, when you see all these signs, may be sure that He is near--at your very door.

"Afterwards the other bridesmaids came and cried, "'Sir, Sir, open the door to us.'

The one who had received the five talents came and brought five more, and said, "'Sir, it was five talents that you entrusted to me: see, I have gained five more.'

"The second, who had received the two talents, came and said, "'Sir, it was two talents you entrusted to me: see, I have gained two more.'

"But, next, the man who had the one talent in his keeping came and said, "'Sir, I knew you to be a severe man, reaping where you had not sown and garnering what you had not winnowed.

One of them ran forthwith, and filling a sponge with sour wine put it on the end of a cane and offered it Him to drink;

"Sir," they said, "we recollect that during his lifetime that impostor pretended that after two days he was to rise to life again.

"Listen: the sower goes out to sow.

"What the sower sows is the Message.

He even swore to her, "Whatever you ask me for I will give you, up to half my kingdom."

She was a Gentile woman, a Syro-phoenician by nation: and again and again she begged Him to expel the demon from her daughter.

"True, Sir," she replied, "and yet the dogs under the table eat the children's scraps."

So also do you, when you see these things happening, be sure that He is near, at your very door.

They were filled with sorrow, and began asking Him, one by one, "Not I, is it?"

"This is my blood," He said, "which is to be poured out on behalf of many--the blood which makes the Covenant sure.

Then a man ran to fill a sponge with sour wine, and he put it on the end of a cane and placed it to His lips, saying at the same time, "Wait! let us see whether Elijah will come and take him down."

The oath which He swore to Abraham our forefather,

It was the first registration made during the governorship of Quirinius in Syria;

On another occasion, when He was in one of the towns, there was a man there covered with leprosy, who, seeing Jesus, threw himself at His feet and implored Him, saying, "Sir, if only you are willing, you are able to make me clean."

Then Jesus went with them. But when He was not far from the house, the Captain sent friends to Him with the message: "Sir, do not trouble to come. I am not worthy of having you come under my roof;

They are like children sitting in the public square and calling out to one another, 'We have played the flute to you, and you have not danced: we have sung dirges, and you have not shown sorrow.'

"The sower," He said, "goes out to sow his seed; and as he sows, some of the seed falls by the way-side, and is trodden upon, or the birds of the air come and peck it up.

"'The very dust of your town that hangs about us we wipe off as a protest. Only be sure of this, that the Kingdom of God is close at hand.'

Of this be sure, that if the master of the house had known what time the robber was coming, he would have kept awake and not have allowed his house to be broken into.

"But the gardener pleaded, "'Leave it, Sir, this year also, till I have dug round it and manured it.

when some one asked Him, "Sir, are there but few who are to be saved?"

As soon as the Master of the house shall have risen and shut the door, and you have begun to stand outside and knock at the door and say, "'Sir, open the door for us' --"'I do not know you,' He answers; 'you are no friends of mine.'

"Soon the servant reported the result, saying, "'Sir, what you ordered is done, and there is room still.'

Jesus saw his sorrow, and said, "With how hard a struggle do the possessors of riches ever enter the Kingdom of God!

"What shall I do for you?" "Sir," he replied, "let me recover my sight."

"So the first came and said, "'Sir, your pound has produced ten pounds more.'

"The second came, and said, "'Your pound, Sir, has produced five pounds.'

"The next came. "'Sir,' he said, 'here is your pound, which I have kept wrapt up in a cloth.

("They said to him, "`Sir, he already has ten pounds.')

So also, when you see these things happening, you may be sure that the Kingdom of God is near.

When He rose from his prayer and came to His disciples, He found them sleeping for sorrow.

And the soldiers also made sport of Him, coming and offering Him sour wine and saying,

"What is the subject," He asked them, "on which you are talking so earnestly, as you walk?" And they stood still, looking full of sorrow.

"Sir," she said, "you have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep; so where can you get the living water from?

"Sir," said the woman, "give me that water, that I may never be thirsty, nor continually come all the way here to draw from the well."

"Sir," replied the woman, "I see that you are a Prophet.

The reaper gets pay and gathers in a crop in preparation for the Life of the Ages, that so the sower and the reapers may rejoice together.

For it is in this that you see the real meaning of the saying, 'The sower is one person, and the reaper is another.'

"Sir," pleaded the officer, "come down before my child dies."

"Sir," replied the sufferer, "I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is moved; but while I am coming some one else steps down before me."

"Sir," they said, "always give us that bread."

"No one, Sir," she replied. "And *I* do not condemn you either," said Jesus; "go, and from this time do not sin any more."

"Who is He, Sir?" replied the man. "Tell me, so that I may believe in Him."

"I believe, Sir," he said. And he threw himself at His feet.

They came to Philip, of Bethsaida in Galilee, with the request, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."

A woman, when she is in labour, has sorrow, because her time has come. But when she has given birth to the babe, she no longer remembers the pain, because of her joy at a child being born into the world.

So you also now have sorrow; but I shall see you again, and your hearts will be glad, and your gladness no one will take away from you.

Jesus therefore said to Peter, "Put back your sword. Shall I refuse to drink the cup of sorrow which the Father has given me to drink?"

"Why are you weeping?" He asked; "who are you looking for?" She, supposing that He was the gardener, replied, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him and I will remove him."

"Come this way and have breakfast," said Jesus. But not one of the disciples ventured to question Him as to who He was, for they felt sure that it was the Master.

He had also, after He suffered, shown Himself alive to them with many sure proofs, appearing to them at intervals during forty days, and speaking of the Kingdom of God.

Looking steadily at him, and being much alarmed, he said, "What do you want, Sir?" "Your prayers and charities," he replied, "have gone up and have been recorded before God.

and they took with them the following letter: "The Apostles and the elder brethren send greeting to the Gentile brethren throughout Antioch, Syria and Cilicia.

and he passed through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the Churches.

After remaining a considerable time longer in Corinth, Paul took leave of the brethren and set sail for Syria; and Priscilla and Aquila were with him. He had shaved his head at Cenchreae, because he was bound by a vow.

The Jews having planned to waylay him whenever he might be on the point of taking ship for Syria, he decided to travel back by way of Macedonia.

After sighting Cyprus and leaving that island on our left, we continued our voyage to Syria and put in at Tyre; for there the ship was to unload her cargo.

What then ought you to do? They are sure to hear that you have come to Jerusalem;

Now, when daylight came, the Jews formed a conspiracy and solemnly swore not to eat or drink till they had killed Paul.

Then, at a sign from the Governor, Paul answered, "Knowing, Sir, that for many years you have administered justice to this nation, I cheerfully make my defence.

the promise which our twelve tribes, worshipping day and night with intense devotedness, hope to have made good to them. It is on the subject of this hope, Sir, that I am accused by the Jews.

and on the journey, at noon, Sir, I saw a light from Heaven--brighter than the brightness of the sun--shining around me and around those who were travelling with me.

And a light breeze from the south sprang up, so that they supposed they were now sure of their purpose. So weighing anchor they ran along the coast of Crete, hugging the shore.

For on the ground of obedience to Law no man living will be declared righteous before Him. Law simply brings a sure knowledge of sin.

so that the promise should be made sure to all Abraham's true descendants; not merely to those who are righteous through the Law, but to those who are righteous through a faith like that of Abraham. Thus in the sight of God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and makes reference to things that do not exist, as though they did, Abraham is the forefather of all of us. As it is written, "I have appointed you to be the forefather of many nations."

And, without growing weak in faith, he could contemplate his own vital powers which had now decayed--for he was nearly 100 years old--and Sarah's barrenness.

For the words are the language of promise and run thus, "About this time next year I will come, and Sarah shall have a son."

My meaning is that Christ has become a servant to the people of Israel in vindication of God's truthfulness-- in showing how sure are the promises made to our forefathers--

So after discharging this duty, and making sure that these kind gifts reach those for whom they are intended, I shall start for Spain, passing through Rome on my way there;

Now if any one has caused sorrow, it has been caused not so much to me, as in some degree--for I have no wish to exaggerate--to all of you.

Now I rejoice, not in your grief, but because the grief led to repentance; for you sorrowed with a godly sorrow, which prevented you from receiving injury from us in any respect.

For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, a repentance not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world finally produces death.

For mark the effects of this very thing--your having sorrowed with a godly sorrow--what earnestness it has called forth in you, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing affection, what jealousy, what meting out of justice! You have completely wiped away reproach from yourselves in the matter.

I have thought it absolutely necessary therefore to request these brethren to visit you before I myself come, and to make sure beforehand that the gift of love which you have already promised may be ready as a gift of love, and may not seem to have been something which I have extorted from you.